“Here Are the 50 Best Places To Eat in the U.S. Right Now” | The New York Times

The New York Times | September 2025

“Falafel swathed in preserved mango tahini. Bluefin tartar painted with chile crisp shatta. Spatchcocked chicken you’ll relish for its darkly caramelized skin and side of harissa toum. They are the kinds of ideas one imagines were rattling around Khaled AlBanna’s head when he moved to Chattanooga to study engineering, having grown up the son of a chef in Amman, Jordan. The dishes come to life at Calliope, along with delicious evidence — braised collards sprinkled with peanut dukkah, lamb andouille links crossed over beds of muhummara — that the chef has taken a shine to Southern cuisine. Mr. AlBanna runs this alluring, cosmopolitan restaurant with his business partner, Raven Humphrey. They recently signed a long-term lease for the space on East Martin Luther King Boulevard, increasing the odds that Calliope will truly become what it already feels like: a local institution. BRETT ANDERSON”

Read the full the article here.

Where to eat in Chattanooga, Best restaurants in Chattanooga, Cocktails in Chattanooga, Downtown Chattanooga restaurants, Middle Eastern food Chattanooga, Mediterranean food Chattanooga